camerapediafandomcom-20200215-history
Beier Beirette series
Beirette was a name applied to a long sequence of compact 35mm viewfinder camera models, made from 1958 to the 1980s in East Germany by Beier. There were also some folding Beirettes, made from 1939, but production apparently disappeared during WWII. Although the name stayed the same, various tweaks in the design were made. It was the first camera that came out of the former East Germany that had a rapid advance lever. It is a very compact, little simple camera, and the first thing you notice is the beautifully designed shutter release button placed on the front. There are many models and versions during its very long manufacturing period. Flash sync, for example, moved from a pin of the lens barrel to a standard hot shoe, and a plastic shutter release button replaced the original metal one in the mid-1970s. Several versions of this camera were sold by Boots, for example the Boots Beirette BL, or branded as Revue for export markets. Specifications * Type: viewfinder camera * Manufacturer: Kamerafabrik Woldemar Beier KG - Freital, partially private East German company * Year of launch: 1958 * Film: 35mm * Lens: Meyer Trioplan 1:3.5/45mm or Ludwig Meritar 1:2.8/45mm * Shutter: Junior-II, Modell II or Priomat with speeds 30, 60, 125, and B * Viewfinder: optical, early versions were ocular shiftable for parallax correction Model List Models for 135 film *Beirette, 1958 (Meyer Trioplan 45mm/3.5 or E. Ludwig Meritar 45mm/2.9 lens, Junior II shutter, circular eyepiece turning for parallax correction, shutter release on top of the lens base) *Beirette, 1963 (Meyer Trioplan 45mm/3.5 or E. Ludwig Meritar 45mm/2.9, Junior II, rectangular eyepiece, shutter release on the side of the lens base) * Beirette v,Model marks appeared on the Beirette cameras in the vsn version only c.1964-65, new body design, film advance lever without an additional advance knob, a rewind crank instead of a knob (Meyer Domiplan 45mm/2.8, Priomat) * Beirette vs, 1968, a version of the Beirette v with symmetrical lens base (E. Ludwig Meritar 45mm/2.9, Priomat, PC sync on lens, translucent plastic around lens, still has extra shutter release and metal "guard") * Beirette vs, 1974 (E. Ludwig Meritar 45mm/2.8, Priomat, PC sync on lens, translucent plastic around lens, no additional shutter release) *Beirette vs, 1974 (E. Ludwig Meritar 45mm/2.8, Priomat, hot shoe, black plastic around lens) * Beirette vsn, 1977 (Black body. E. Ludwig Meritar 45mm/2.8, Priomat, plastic frame advance and rewind crank.) ** Beirette vsn, 1987 (E. Ludwig Meritar 45mm/2.8, Priomat, plastic frame advance and rewind crank.) ** Beirette vsn, 1988 has half-plastic, half-chrome levers. ** Beirette vsn, 1989 has different leatherette. ** Beirette vsn, unknown date, has translucent plastic around lens. * Beirette k100, 1977 or 1982, for 135 type film (Chromar 52 mm/11 lens, 1/30 s and 1/125 s shutter speeds) - a mixture of the vsn body and SL 100 lens * Beirette 35, 1987 - basically Beirette vsn with black plastic body and CdS exposure metering (E. Ludwig Meritar 45mm/2.8, Priomat, hot shoe, black plastic body) * Beirette vsn 2, 1989, a version of the Beirette vsn with black plastic body top (E. Ludwig Meritar 45mm/2.8, Priomat) * Beirette Electronic, 1982 Models for SL film cartridges * Beirette k, 1965, a version of the Beirette v for SL film cartridges (Meyer Domiplan 45mm/2.8 or E. Ludwig Meritar 45mm/2.8, Priomat) * Beirette ka, 1967, a version of the Beirette ks with hot shoe (E. Ludwig Meritar 45mm/2.8, Priomat, PC sync on lens) * Beirette kf, 1966, a version of the Beirette k with socket and reflector for AG1 flashbulbs * Beirette kfs, 1967, a version of the Beirette ks with socket and reflector for AG1 flashbulbs * Beirette ks, 1967, a version of the Beirette vs for SL film cartridges (E. Ludwig Meritar 45mm/2.8, Priomat, PC sync on lens) * Beirette SL (brick-shaped cameras for SL film cartridges) ** Beirette SL 100, 1973-85 (Chromar 52mm/11 lens, 1/30 s and 1/125 s shutter speeds) ** Beirette SL 100N, 1987-89 (Multiple colours, Chromar 52mm/11 lens, 1/30 s and 1/125 s shutter speeds) ** Beirette SL 200, 1970 (E. Ludwig Meritar 45mm/2.9, later Meritar 45mm/2.8, Priomat) ** Beirette SL 300, 1970 (E. Ludwig Meritar 45mm/2.9, later Meritar 45mm/2.8, Priomat, Albada viewfinder, weather symbols for exposure setting) ** Beirette Electric SL 400, 1978, new design with CdS exposure metering (E. Ludwig Meritar 45mm/2.8, Priomat) Export models * Beroquick SL 125, c.1970 * Beroquick KB 135, c.1976 * Beroquick Electronic * Beier Boots Beirette B.L. Beirette early models Beirette late models Notes and references Links In German *All Beirette variations with dates, collected by Thomas Knorre In English *Beirette in the Living Imag In French / English *Beirette Electronic at Sylvain Halgand's www.collection-appareils.fr *Beirette k100 at Sylvain Halgand's www.collection-appareils.fr *Beirette vsn at Sylvain Halgand's www.collection-appareils.fr *Beirette vsn black at Sylvain Halgand's www.collection-appareils.fr Category:B Category:German 35mm viewfinder Category:B Category:German 35mm viewfinder